by our College Data Analytics TeamIt's not easy to decide which school to attend when you have so many options available. Our mission at College Factual is to arm you with as much information as we can to help you make that decision. Our Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking is one tool we have developed to help in this regard. A school that typically has a high sticker price may actually be very affordable, depending on how much need-based financial aid you receive.
See What's Included in This Value Report:
We analyzed 70 schools across California to determine which have the best value Master's Degree programs. To come up with this ranking of the best value schools, we look at factors that are all objective measurements. We explain more about what we look at and why we do so below.
When determining the value of a school in our Best Master's Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking, we first look at its average net price, which is defined as the sum of room and board, tuition, and fees minus any financial aid that the student receives. But, a school that excels in providing value for your money must also be a great school overall as well.
To take this into account we include a school's overall Best Colleges ranking which itself looks at a collection of various factors like degree completion, educational resources, student body caliber and post-graduation earnings for the school as a whole.
We go into more detail on these factors on our best value ranking methodology page.
Keep scrolling for the top schools in this ranking or select one of the other rankings methods below.
If you know what major you want to study, check out our list of the best value schools by major. If you're interested in other degree levels, you can view one of the lists below.
Learn more about these excellent schools below:
Our 2024 rankings named Stanford University the best value (with aid) school in California for students working on their master’s degree. Located in Stanford, California, the school is a fairly large private not-for-profit institution.
Not only is Stanford University a great value, but it is also ranked #1 in California for overall quality.
A rank of #2 on our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list means University of California - Los Angeles is a great place for students working on their degree. Located in Los Angeles, California, the school is a large public institution.
Not only is University of California - Los Angeles a great value, but it is also ranked #5 in California for overall quality.
The quality degree programs at California State University - Los Angeles helped the school earn the #3 place on this year’s ranking of Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California. Cal State LA is located in Los Angeles, California and has a large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, California State University - Los Angeles is ranked #56 for quality in the state of California.
Learn More About Value at California State University - Los Angeles
A rank of #4 on our Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list means San Diego State University is a great place for students working on their degree. San Diego, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is San Diego State University a great value, but it is also ranked #32 in California for overall quality.
You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend California State University - San Bernardino. It ranked #5 on our 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list. CSUSB is located in San Bernardino, California and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, California State University - San Bernardino is ranked #62 for quality in the state of California.
Full California State University - San Bernardino Value Report
With a ranking of #6, National University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list. La Jolla, California is the setting for this fairly large institution of higher learning. It is a private not-for-profit school.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, National University is ranked #17 for quality in the state of California.
California State University - Fullerton landed the #7 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking. Cal State Fullerton is a public institution located in Fullerton, California.
California State University - Fullerton has the honor of being ranked #54 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
University of California - Berkeley landed the #8 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking. This large public school is located in Berkeley, California.
University of California - Berkeley has the honor of being ranked #4 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Learn More About Value at University of California - Berkeley
California State University - Dominguez Hills came in at #9 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking. Located in Carson, California, the school is a fairly large public institution.
California State University - Dominguez Hills has the honor of being ranked #65 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Read full value report on California State University - Dominguez Hills
University of California - Irvine did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking, coming in at #10. UC Irvine is a large public school situated in Irvine, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of California - Irvine is ranked #14 for quality in the state of California.
California State University - Fresno ranked #11 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list. Fresno, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
California State University - Fresno has the honor of being ranked #55 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Read full value report on California State University - Fresno
University of California - San Diego came in at #12 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking. UCSD is a large public school situated in La Jolla, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of California - San Diego is ranked #7 for quality in the state of California.
California State University - Long Beach landed the #13 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking. California State University - Long Beach is a large public school located in Long Beach, California.
Not only is California State University - Long Beach a great value, but it is also ranked #38 in California for overall quality.
Learn More About Value at California State University - Long Beach
California State University - Northridge came in at #14 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking. Located in Northridge, California, the school is a large public institution.
California State University - Northridge has the honor of being ranked #45 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Read full value report on California State University - Northridge
California State University - Sacramento did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking, coming in at #15. Sac State is a large public school situated in Sacramento, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, California State University - Sacramento is ranked #52 for quality in the state of California.
California State University - Monterey Bay came in at #16 in this year’s edition of the Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking. Located in Seaside, California, the school is a medium-sized public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, California State University - Monterey Bay is ranked #71 for quality in the state of California.
Learn More About Value at California State University - Monterey Bay
California State University - Bakersfield ranked #17 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list. Located in Bakersfield, California, the school is a fairly large public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, California State University - Bakersfield is ranked #63 for quality in the state of California.
Read full value report on California State University - Bakersfield
California State University - Stanislaus ranked #18 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list. Stan State is located in Turlock, California and has a fairly large student population. It is a public school.
California State University - Stanislaus has the honor of being ranked #72 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
Read full value report on California State University - Stanislaus
Sonoma State University ranked #19 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list. Rohnert Park, California is the setting for this medium-sized institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
Not only is Sonoma State University a great value, but it is also ranked #77 in California for overall quality.
United States University did quite well in the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking, coming in at #20. USU is a private for-profit institution located in San Diego, California.
United States University has the honor of being ranked #30 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
With a ranking of #21, San Jose State University did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list. San Jose, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. It is a public school.
San Jose State University has the honor of being ranked #24 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
University of California - Santa Barbara ranked #22 on this year’s Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list. University of California - Santa Barbara is a large public school located in Santa Barbara, California.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of California - Santa Barbara is ranked #11 for quality in the state of California.
Learn More About Value at University of California - Santa Barbara
With a ranking of #23, University of California - Davis did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list. Located in Davis, California, the school is a large public institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, University of California - Davis is ranked #13 for quality in the state of California.
With a ranking of #24, Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses did quite well on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California list. Located in Stockton, California, the school is a small private not-for-profit institution.
In addition to being included on this ranking as a good value, Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses is ranked #81 for quality in the state of California.
Read full value report on Humphreys University - Stockton and Modesto Campuses
University of California - Riverside landed the #25 spot on the 2024 Best Master’s Degree Colleges for the Money (With Aid) in California ranking. This large public school is located in Riverside, California.
University of California - Riverside has the honor of being ranked #46 in California for overall quality on top of being a good value.
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Footnotes
*These averages are for the top 25 schools only.
More about our data sources and methodologies.